The LinkedIn post OP was referencing in the video. https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7214228916142534656/
TCT article on the situation.
https://www.tctmagazine.com/additive-manufacturing-3d-printing-news/latest-additive-manufacturing-3d-printing-news/shapeways-ceases-operations-and-files-for-bankruptcy/
3D Printing Industry article that goes more into the financial side of the issue. https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/shapeways-bankrupt-5m-rescue-bid-rejected-231387/
I remember ordering some samples from them when they were a newer company, and how cool it was when they added metal as a material option. Sad to see them go. Seems like much more of another company ruined by going public than a failure of their business model. I guess the silver lining is that they simply went under rather than morphing into a worst possible version of what they were trying to squeeze every penny in the pursuit of infinite growth (or maybe they tried that for a while and it failed too, I’ll admit I haven’t been paying attention to the scene for the last several years).
They probably lost a ton of business to the Chinese PCB companies that branched into hobby-focused 3D printing and CNC milling. (That is speculation, of course.)
Running a business like that primarily out of the US must have been super expensive. It seems that Shapeways had locations in Europe, which probably had its own set of issues.
I am confused? The site is still up and running and you can still order though?
Might be a restructuring:
, the Company may need to file for bankruptcy protection in order to implement a plan of reorganization, or court-supervised sale and/or liquidation of the Company.
…from what i’ve read, shapeways and all their subsidiaries have ceased operation entirely and have no corporate officers; i’m guessing that if the site’s still up there’s noone behind the wheel…
